Portrait of the Champions of the West
The Portrait of the Champions of the West keeps a fully up-to-date picture of the Solar Circle, their corresponding Lunar Pack kneeling in front, and their Sidereal Adviser behind and off to the side. By setting Amber's Castestone in a socket on the side of the picture, the picture can be adjusted to any time period, giving a history of the Essence Shards. Current Image Largo, Kai, Fern, Takara, and Amber stand side-by-side. Leviathan, Raksi, Serentatis, and Gull kneel in front of them; between Raksi and Serentatis is a silver silhouette. Off to one side stands Twice-Blessed Raven. The sky behind them is a deep blood red. Listing The earliest setting has the stone at 6:00. * The opening picture has Arcadi and Amyana readily visible in the center. * Brigid, a proud-looking woman with long curly hair, a motherly look on her face, and a book in her arm stands next to them. * On one side stands a man mostly shrouded in a black cloak, with two wicked-looking Daiclaives sticking out from his shoulders. * On the other side stands a strikingly beautiful man with brilliant blue eyes and bright white wings extending from his shoulders. He is carrying a golden lute. * In front of Arcadi kneels a tall, lanky woman with black hair, a bandanna, and a lopsided grin. * In front of Amyana kneels Red Coral Manta, a stout, rugged man with red hair and an eyepatch. * In front of Brigid kneels her first husband, a muscular man with strong features and long, flowing silver hair. * In front of the man shrouded in black kneels Silken Hammer, a broad-shouldered man with tattoos and a crew cut. * In front of the angelic man kneels Silver-Voiced Nightingale, a well-dressed woman with wavy white hair, glasses over blue eyes, and a piercing gaze. * In the corner stands a robed man with excellent posture and a knowing gaze, clearly holding the Glaive of the Last Maiden over his shoulder. Rotating the stone around the picture clockwise causes it to change. * At 7:00, Brigid's husband is replaced by a kind-looking woman with long, straight silver hair. * Approaching 9:00, the sky begins to lighten in shades of purple, then pink. The war intensifies. * At 9:00, several things happen simultaneously: ** The sky very suddenly becomes a bright blue. The war ends. ** The angelic man is replaced by Amber Melody, Sr. ** The man in dark robes is replaced by Shadow's Grace. ** The man in the corner is replaced by a man in a male kimono, who has silver fans, but no sword. * A little past 12:00, the tall woman in front of Arcadi is replaced with Leviathan. * Halfway past 2:00, the kind woman in front of Brigid is replaced by a very young, pretty girl, Raksi. * Approaching 3:00, the sky begins to grow dark. Brigid suddenly disappears entirely. * At 3:00, several things happen in quick succession: ** The sky turns dark red. The Usurpation occurs. ** Red Coral Manta is replaced by a Tya. ** Simultaneously, Raksi flickers for a moment, then reverts to normal. ** Arcadi fades into a silhouette. ** Amyana fades into a silhouette. ** Amber Melody, Sr. fades into a silhouette. ** Silver Voice changes into a large barbarian with war paint. ** Silken Hammer is replaced by Serentatis. ** Shadow's Grace is replaced by a silhouette, and is the last Solar to do so. ** Simultaneously, the male in the kimono is replaced by a weathered older man who Raven recognizes from pictures. * At 6:00, a few things happen quickly. ** The sky is very briefly an absolute black. ** The Tya changes to man in a fluffy parka, carrying a bone spear. ** The barbarian in war paint changes to a merchant in a turban. * At 7:00, the weathered man is replaced by Raven. * At 8:00, the merchant goes dark, though not quite a silhouette. * At 9:00, three things happen in quick succession: ** The other four members of the party flash into place, as well as Midnight. ** The man in the parka changes to a similarly dressed man carrying the same spear, this one recognizable as Piqujait ** The sky lightens into a deep blood red. ** The merchant flashes into a silver silhouette. ** Midnight flashes into a black silhouette. ** The silver silhouette becomes Gull. ** The black silhouette becomes Kai (not black anymore). ** Dax becomes Takara. ** Piqujait flashes into a silver silhouette. Conclusions and other observations It appears that the pictures flash gold or silver (or purple) while the Essence Shard is in transition from one Chosen to another. Black silhouettes are in place when the Essence Shard is either trapped in the Jade Prison or a Monstrance, though you don't know about the latter in character. Yet. Brigid's disappearance is quite an anomaly; in fact, Fern doesn't even appear in the picture until she touches it herself. Additionally, according to Leviathan, Brigid had disappeared long before her picture indicates. The picture confirms that the chimera the party slew was Amber's Lunar Mate, and the essence shard is still in transition to its next Chosen. The fact that the Glaive was first wielded by Raven's first incarnation, and has not appeared since, is rather interesting. The color of the sky in the final picture is obviously linked to the first story arc's title. The colors of the sky seem to signify the condition of Creation. Category:Sunlight on the Water